


Step by Step, Venturing Forth

by Absent_Enigma



Series: Mending Souls [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Addtnl tags in the chapters so I don’t flood the series tags, Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), Gen, Multi, Underfell Papyrus (Undertale), Underfell Sans (Undertale), Undertale Monsters on the Surface, but Underfell bros appeared in it, characters tentatively exploring poly relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:28:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27979617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Absent_Enigma/pseuds/Absent_Enigma
Summary: The road to recovery is paved with good intentions but with it comes setbacks that can’t always be solved with comfort and understanding.
Relationships: Papyrus (underfell)/reader, Sans (Underfell)/Reader
Series: Mending Souls [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2044447
Comments: 12
Kudos: 82





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a continuation of the storyline for A Home for Mending Souls, because by the last few chapters, I really wanted to continue to explore UF Papyrus and UF Sans’ recovery/eventual exploration of what happened to them/confronting it/interacting with other monsters and humans/etc as well as the relationship with reader. So this is the next part. (Ch 2 should be up by the weekend, if not a little sooner). 
> 
> Addtnl tags for this chapter: fluff, cuddling, protectiveness, hint of past trauma cropping up by the end.

You were still getting used to waking up most mornings boxed between two surprisingly warm skeleton monsters, both of whom were very cuddly when they were asleep, or just barely awake.

Sans could almost always be found tucked in close to your chest, his arm draped over your waist, and skull pressed between your shoulder and collar bone. And when Papyrus deigned to sleep, he chose to press his tall frame up against your back, his arm over your waist just beneath his brother's. Papyrus also tended to absently nuzzle the back of your neck with little skeleton kisses when he thought you were asleep, before resting his skull on a pillow above your head, his jaw bone pressed lightly to your hair.

You lie there in bed now, soaking up the companionship of your now date mates (boyfriends? bonefriends?), too comfy to want to get up for the day. With a yawn, you wrapped your arms around Sans' shoulders, absently petting the nearest scapula. The texture was both rough and smooth beneath your fingers, depending on whether or not there were scars. You didn't even remember when Sans decided to leave his shirt off to sleep, but you wondered if it was because you touched him more that way. That would actually make sense, as that would likely be the reason why Papyrus would narrow his sockets at his brother when you and Sans would decide to go crash in bed.

Papyrus had taken to wearing the softest pajamas he could order offline, which was apparently his own way of asking for touch without actually asking for it aloud, since he noticed your like of soft blankets and clothing.

You knew that Papyrus still had trouble admitting he wanted affection from you, whereas Sans was absolutely shameless about it. Sans always let it be known that he would be absolutely down to spend an movie with his head on your lap, so that Sans could have his skull gently traced by the tips of your fingers. The purring was still absolutely a delight for you to hear, and only added to the image of Sans being a big cat seeking attention.

A soft meow caught your attention, and you shifted in bed enough to see that Chaosmaker was curled up on the end of the bed. It was luck that the cat didn't immediately start to pounce on limbs beneath the sheets or for her to try to go into Sans' ribcage again.

That hadn’t ended well the last time, with Sans throwing bone attacks in a blind panic as Chaosmaker purred until her body shook within his ribs. Papyrus had been the one to coax the cat out, and Sans had proceeded to shut himself in the guest room over the destruction he’d caused.

Violence being the first answer to a problem was something that was being worked on. 

Reluctantly.

When you tried to get up out of a tangle of monster limbs and bedding you found yourself mixed up in this morning, both brothers held on to you a little more firmly. 

"no goin' off in that car of yers, yeah?" Sans mumbled against your neck, sharp teeth carefully pressing against your skin.

"not leaving the house. It’s just. Humans do have to use the bathroom, you know." You told Sans wryly.

Sans let out a disgruntled sound at that. With a heavy sigh, he let go of you and rolled over, but not before leaving another skeleton kiss with a hint of tongue. Sans took the sheets with him as he settled on his other side. This caused Papyrus to growl irritably at the loss of warmth on his side of the bed.

"Sleeping in?" You asked Papyrus wryly, when he didn't move his head or arm away from you.

With a slow sigh, the tall monster reluctantly let go of you, allowing you to squirm out of his grasp and sit up. You playfully shooed Sans' hand away when he tried to swat your backside as you crawled over him to get off the bed. When you came back from the bathroom, you saw that Sans had stolen the rest of the bedding, cocooning himself.

Only a smug, sharp smile could be seen.

Papyrus stared up, pajama clad body bared to the room, his crimson eye lights a little hazy and unfocused. It looked like he was trying to gather up patience from the ceiling itself, so that he didn’t shove his brother and all the bedding off the bed.

You were about to leave the bedroom when Papyrus began sat up. You bit back a laugh as Papyrus lightly dropped a pillow on the general area of Sans’ skull, drawing forth a sleepy cuss. You slipped out of the bedroom, deciding your pajamas could stay on for now.

Another curse and a thump let you know that Papyrus decided to take umbrage with Sans stealing all the blankets and sheets for himself.

Everything was perfectly fine that morning, with sleepy absent nuzzles that made you laugh when you didn’t see them coming. It made you happy to see the pleased looks from both monsters at your reaction to the nuzzles. Things began to go downhill a little right after breakfast, when you causally tossed out what you knew was a sore subject but needed to be discussed.

”I’m going to need to go to the city soon. There are some supplies I want to get that I can’t order offline or have delivered here as easily as getting it myself.” You saw the moment protection mode was activated in both monsters.

Papyrus and Sans’ skulls whipped around almost simultaneously toward you.

”thought ya said ya weren’t gonna go.” Sans said stiffly.

”I never said one way or another.” You pointed out. “As I said before, I am an adult, and I’ve been to the city before on my own. Do you want to go for a drive in my car yet? Go a bit further than the half-hour walk you and Papyrus go on for patrols?” 

There was a long silence.

Sans said nothing, lingering in the doorway to the kitchen.

”I WILL GO ON A PATROL TODAY, BUT NOT WITH A VEHICLE. I WILL GO BY FOOT TO ENSURE THAT THERE ARE NO DANGERS ALONG THE PATH YOU WISH TO TRAVEL, IF YOU ARE ADAMANT ABOUT GOING.” Papyrus announced, crossing his arms as his crimson eye lights swept over you, as if daring you to tell him no.

“The city is a fair distance away.” You said patiently. “I don’t think that you want to walk for hours, only to reach a city full of people and monsters when you and Sans have not been around anyone but me for nearly a whole year.”

“I INSIST.” Papyrus said firmly. “GIVE ME A FEW DAYS TO COMPLETE MY SURVEY OF THE AREA BEFORE YOU GO.”

”I can do that, if it’ll make you feel better.” You told the monster. Waiting a few extra days was certainly something you could do.

”IT WILL.” Papyrus agreed.

You were surprised over how quiet Sans continued to be, until you sat down on the couch while Papyrus left the living room to change into clothes he used for his patrols.

“...been practicing makin’ calls with m’phone to random places.” Sans muttered as he snuggled in close to your side, arm around your back as his fingers lightly traced your waist. “ain’t my idea of a fun time, but i figured i’d do it so i won’t piss someone off in person.” Sans offered a tight grin. “at least not until I got a better read on someone before i mouth off to ‘em.”

“That’s great that you’ve been practicing.” You were surprised but also proud of Sans for taking matters into his own hands. You knew that neither monster particularly wanted to be around other monsters or humans right now. But at the same time, Sans and Papyrus couldn’t spend almost all of their time inside of the house.

Papyrus breezed through the living room, fully dressed in jeans, a soft black turtle neck and his new red scarf. After tugging on his elbow length red gloves and boots, he swept out the door without a word, an intense look on his face.

“ya outta let deliveries come to the door.” Sans said, once the door was closed. “would be good practice to have to see the faces deliverin’ the goods.” Sans avoided eye contact with you, his hand stilling on your waist before drawing away.

You saw Sans curl his hands into fists on his lap, and without a shirt in, you could see and feel how tense he was.

“monsters would be better to begin with, before addin’ in humans.” Sans’ sharp teeth parted as his ruby colored tongue licked at them idly, including the space of a missing tooth. “less likely ta...accidentally lash out.”

You dragged the blankets that had been draped on the back of the couch over you, thinking to capture the monster for a short cuddling session.

Sans smoothly avoided being engulfed by soft fabric, even if his expression made it clear he wanted to join you.

You raised a brow at him in question and received a half-grin.

“would rather stay here with ya sweetheart, but there’s somethin’ I gotta do.” Sans scratched idly at his skull as he shuffled toward the guest bedroom. Sans emerged moments later wearing a red sweater, track shorts, and his new jacket, slouched over as he walked to the front door to get his sneakers on. “gonna go out and follow after paps to keep a socket on him.”

“How come?” You asked. “Doesn’t he go on those patrols often enough on his own?”

“he’s gonna go further than he normally would. might not be a pretty sight if he remembers anythin’...unpleasant.” Sans doesn’t elaborate on that worrying thought as he pocketed his phone and left the house.

By the time you got up off the couch and dressed in something other than pajamas, you were ready for the rest of the day, even if Sans’ words lingered in the back of your mind.

You went ahead and changed online delivery instructions for some of your orders, phrasing the request for monster employees to make deliveries politely. If that would help Sans (and perhaps Papyrus) get used to people other than you, then you would respect that decision and not try to shelter them from the outside world as much. You wouldn’t interfere unless one of the brothers told you in the future that they wanted deliveries changed back to the way they had been.

Once that was accomplished, you couldn’t help but think back on Sans’ words again, and feel that they were a little ominous. Why wouldn’t Papyrus be all right? He did go on those patrols by himself often enough he could probably walk the paths blindfolded.

But Sans knew his brother well, so perhaps there was something to his words.

You hoped that Papyrus would be all right.

What might cause Papyrus, or even Sans, to remember ‘unpleasant’ memories? What had happened to them, for them to be so injured and fearful of the world around them? For there to be so little trust toward you initially? 

It still hurt to think of the broken monsters that had hidden behind your couch, Sans unconscious and Papyrus begging you to hurt him instead of his brother.

But you couldn’t tell them to go to therapy if they weren’t ready to be around anyone but you. It also wasn’t up to you to push for therapy. It was ultimately Sans and Papyrus who would decide if and when they would even be ready or willing to speak to someone about whatever they had gone through. Nor did you feel it was any of your business to ask them about their past, unless they willingly wanted to speak with you about it. 

Quietly, you gathered up the blankets on the couch and rearranged them, before bringing out some pillows from your bedroom. Lost in thought, you were torn between what you could do to help, and what you should leave for the brothers to figure out on their own, unless they asked directly for your help. Once you fed Chaosmaker and made some lunch for yourself, you stored the leftovers. It was probably best to have something for everyone to eat, in case no one was in the mood to cook later that evening.

There was no telling what state Sans and Papyrus would be in on their return to the house. It varied from day to day, even if the good days were beginning to outweigh the bad.

You felt it was best to be prepared for the worst that could happen (Papyrus returning to the house non-verbal and jittery as he struggled to not lash out at you or Sans) and hope for the best (Papyrus tired yet mentally sound).

A text from Sans hours later regrettably informed you it was the former, and you were quick to make adjustments to the house to help ease Papyrus back down into a better state of mind.

Starting with hiding all the knives in the kitchen.

You also put Chaosmaker into your basement, where there was a litter box, as she mewed over and over at the closed door in protest of this terrible treatment.

Papyrus wouldn’t forgive himself if he were to accidentally hurt the cat in one of his darker, violent moods, so you made sure that wouldn’t happen.

That made you send a text to Sans to ask him if you should be out there greet them when they got home, or if you should hunker down with Chaosmaker in the basement for the time being.

There.

You remembered to ask, which was something Papyrus had asked of you, while he’d been trying to help you get a better handle on your terrible lack of self-preservation skills.

If Sans sent a text back telling you to keep out of sight, you would do so, even if it would be done very reluctantly.

Papyrus hadn’t taken it well the last time he’d unintentionally hurt you, awake yet locked within in a nightmare.

You wanted to be certain that that wouldn’t happen again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now, for an angst chapter, because hoo boy did these two go through a lot.
> 
> UF Papyrus 1st POV  
> Warnings/addtnl tags:  
> Panic attack, self-hatred, shame of showing weakness, angst, flashbacks, past abuse and torture, unhealthy coping mechanisms, blue magic use, forced healing magic directly to soul to prevent Papyrus from spiraling out of control.

I had only a small seed of doubt about continuing onward past my usual patrol route, in the direction of the city y/n intended to go to. But I wouldn’t let that doubt prevent me from doing the duty I had given myself. Squaring my shoulders, I began to explore past the familiar paths I took around y/n’s house, and soon, everything around me gave way to new terrain.

It was quiet.

Much too quiet.

My guard was up, as I did not want to be caught unawares within unfamiliar territory. My nerves grew further on edge as I began to traverse past surroundings that were known to me. My senses were stretched out as far as they could go, in order to alert me to anything that might be amiss in the otherwise silent forest around me. This was how I knew that Sans was following along after me, even if he kept his distance. 

This was fine, if a little aggravating, that my brother thought I needed to be followed.

I was perfectly all right. I did not need Sans tagging along, even out of sight, for a simple scouting mission and yet...

...and yet, I found comfort in the fact that Sans was there, his presence not overbearing but also not completely hidden.

It was familiar and safe.

Emboldened, I moved confidently further and further into the unknown ahead of me. I was the Great and Terrible Papyrus. There was nothing that I couldn't do if I set my mind to it. A simple canvas of new territory was nothing new to me, and therefore, was no problem. 

So why...

Why was there a pressure beginning to settle in my soul? 

If I was so calm and composed, then why was I beginning to have trouble breathing? It was ridiculous, considering that I was a skeleton monster.

But with every step I took, the sensation built upon itself, until I was forced to come to a complete halt in the middle of a small clearing, unable to continue onward. Apart from the distant presence that was Sans, there as no one else around me but the animals that lived in this forest. There was nothing that should make me feel sort of breath or got that sense of dread to grew, and it was infuriating, being unable to stomp that feeling out.

_A pressure settles around my neck. It is cold, and unpleasant. It makes it difficult to breathe._

My head violently jerked up, sucking in a harsh breath. The memory had washed over me, unbidden. Gathering magic loosely around me, I raised my skull a little higher to study the surrounding trees and the bare branches.

Nothing.

There was nothing there.

I was outside, even if my gaze swept over the immediate area to confirm this. The snow was nearly melted, leaving nowhere for anyone to hide that might be watching me, apart from Sans, who could keep out of sight if necessary.

No.

Not alone, but, apart from my brother...

It felt as if there was someone watching me. 

_The cuffs around my wrists dampen magic. It prevents automatic retaliation._

The discomfort in my soul was stifling, which caused me to clench my fists at my side in response. I was unable to prevent my breaths from coming out in short, panicked puffs. I tried and failed to hold onto my rigid control, something I prided myself on being able to do.

But the memories.

The memories swept past that control as if it wasn’t even there, weighing me down with unpleasant thoughts, painful and humiliating. My sockets narrowed, internally struggling to differentiate between past and present, before I couldn't take it any longer.

The noise.

The discomfort.

It was wrong, and never should have happened.

_I fight against the restraints that held my magic back, despite how useless it is in this situation._ _The pain twists in my soul as my cervical vertebrae is bent at an unnatural angle._ _Breaths, sharp and painful, are wrenched from me as I fell prey to the magic dampener._

_They want to make weak._

_They want to make me pliable, and give in to their demands. They want to take...they want to take Sans away..._

Hand to the side of my skull, sockets narrowed to slits, I struggled to pull myself out of the memory, before I completely lost myself in it. I saw a shadow up ahead, and this directed my attention to the figure that the shadow was attached to. I sucked in a harsh breath, and took out my frustrations on this figure. My surroundings were becoming blurred. It was as if I were both in the forest and within that damned room. The one I couldn’t escape.

_Distantly, there are voices, and above it, fierce snarls._

I let let out a snarl of my own, one of denial, and flung out a handful of bone constructs.

The other voice.

It was Sans.

I had to help my brother.

Protect him.

_The harsh sound grates as my claws are filed down._

_A loud crack precedes a_ _whimper of pain, but not from me._

_My LV rises in response, it boils over, but no magic forms. Something sharp and painful lashes the back of my spine and ribs. It distracts me._

A choked sob was unwillingly wrenched out as I wore myself out launching attack after attack at something I couldn't see. It was too soon when I collapsed to my hands and knees. Such a small amount of attacks shouldn’t have tired me out that quickly. A sharp gasp slipped out of me as I tipped over and onto the wet grass, lying on my side as I curled up. My attempt to appear as small as possible was impeded by my height.

_It is agony, the harsh strike to my fangs. The pain increases as my cervical vertebrae is..._

My hands jerked up to protect the back of my neck.

No.

I can’t let them immobilize me.

Sans...

Traitorous tears gathered and began to fall. I felt them slide down my cheekbones as I shook, breathing in and out in sharp gasps. The pain was something I could deal with. I always dealt with it, even if Sans had always done the best he could to give me as much of a normal childhood, before the kill or be killed came into play.

I hadn’t been able to save him, when I heard Sans scream back then, in _that_ place we had been taken to, right after we finally realized we were somehow out of the underground, on the surface.

Weak.

I was weak.

Weak weak weak.

I couldn't protect my own brother.

I couldn’t even protect myself.

My mind was a haze of memory and hateful thoughts, pushing myself further and further into a dark mood I struggled to free myself from. I couldn't think clearly, my gloved hands, trembling, tightened over my cervical vertebrae. 

It was as if I were brought back to _that_ place, where all of my defenses had been knocked down. Being there for so long...it had left me defenseless, and my brother permanently maimed. I knew that Sans would never admit to the fact that his claws were never going to grow back, and pushed off any hate or resentment to the knowledge with an insincere smile.

But I remembered.

I wouldn’t forget what had happened to my brother, since I had heard it happen. When Sans’ claws were torn out one by one. There was no healing magic to save them, the tips of his fingers beneath the claw cruelly shaved down to blunt tips.

My hands tightly squeezed the back of my neck.

I failed Sans.

I...

I didn’t deserve to be here, on the surface, welcome on a home that I could stay at as long as I desired.

There was too much noise.

The shuddering breaths and the damn tears that just wouldn’t stop. The what-if's and the could have been...

It wouldn’t stop.

Despite my exhaustion, I wanted to continue to lash out again. Scream soundlessly at what my brother and I had been put through.

I wanted to kill them.

Kill the humans that had done this to us, but I couldn’t.

Sans had gotten to them before me, and made sure they wouldn’t be able to cause us any more pain. But sometimes, I wanted to bring those humans back to life. Being them back so that I could tear them to pieces over and over again, repeatedly, until I could finally feel something other than terror and pain over these memories that were left in the wake of our escape.

The tears wouldn't stop.

The rattling of my bones couldn't be quieted.

Everything hurt.

I couldn't even recall why I'd gone outside in the first place at this point.

It was almost a relief to feel my soul being wrapped in blue magic, because it allowed me to stop thinking. The magic forced me to face the truth. It was Sans' magic holding me down, and showing me without words that we were both out of that place. We wouldn’t allow ourselves to be put into a situation like that ever again. I allowed the gravity to keep me against the grass, and with some difficultly, went limp, my chest rising and falling as I struggled to regain my lost control. 

It was difficult.

My hands remained protectively over the back of my neck, reluctant to expose my spine to a potential attack, even if it was only Sans. I hadn’t even realized that my brother had been talking to me until there was a rough shake given to one of my shoulders.

”c’mon paps. know yer in there somewhere.”

I took in a sharp breath and let it out, despising the fact that it came out as a whimper. It was shameful, to allow my own body to subject me to this.

”i know. it sucks.” Sans was ridiculously patient and empathetic when he wanted to be. Which was hardly ever. “but it ain’t gonna stick around forever. i should know, so ima tell ya that yer gonna be able to push back the memories the longer we’re free to do whatever we want. fer now...ya wanna have me tell ya a bad joke?”

I let out a disgruntled sound at the very thought of being subjected to my brother’s terrible humor, and a little piece of me remained firmly in there here and now.

”that’s better.” Sans coaxed my hands away from my neck. “now let go of yer bones before ya squeeze too hard and break yer neck.”

It took much too long for Sans to pry my hands away from my cervical vertebrae but as soon as my hands were off my neck, I dug my fingers tightly into my scarf. I barely noticed the way Sans gently laid a hand over the back of my neck.

A phantom pain lingered there beneath my brother’s hand, and I knew that it had nothing to do with the torment that Sans and I had gone through at the hands of those humans. This was...this feeling...it came from something that had happened back in the underground. Happened yet didn’t happen, according to Sans. I trembled, feeling Sans soothingly pet the back of my neck, muttering nonsensical things in an attempt to ground me. My sockets closed, until I finally began to relax bit by bit with the contact. I felt further back in the now when I felt my brother’s reassuring intent being pushed directly into my soul.

When had Sans drawn my soul out into the open?

It had been years upon years since my soul had been out in the open. 

But it didn’t feel bad.

The healing certainly helped chase away some of the lingering fear of the past.

My sockets opened, my breathing still uneven. When had I ended up on my back? I dazedly focused my gaze on my soul hovering over my chest.

Cracked and ugly, simmering crimson, was surrounded by a soft ruby glow. The second color indicated that Sans was actively using his magic to heal my soul. Sans was giving me the option to draw it away if it was too much, but...

When had those hairline fractures in my soul appear?

I allowed the somewhat rough healing my brother offered, rare as it was. Sans wasn't exactly known for subtle magic. It felt more like a forceful crack over the side of my skull, demanding that I heal right this instant. I didn’t know how long it took, but I finally calmed enough to grasp back onto some semblance of control. At the same time, Sans released his hold on my soul, and it returned back to where it belonged.

Sans looked me in my sockets.

I stared back.

A quiet exchange passed between the two of us.

“think ya should go back to the house fer now, boss.” Sans said, watching me closely as if looking for something.

”I will go further.” I vowed, even as I wearily lie there on my back, staring up at the sky through the tree line, feeling utterly drained.

”’course ya will, but right now, maybe take a rest? yer gonna worry y/n if ya get back to the house and curl into a ball somewhere.”

I said nothing as I sat up. I didn’t say anything as Sans offered a hand, even though we both know I wouldn’t take it. Once I was back on my feet, I did rest a hand on his shoulder, quietly thanking him without saying a word.

”gonna be okay around y/n, or should i have ‘em wait with Chaosmaker in the basement?” Sans eyed me closely before offering a hint of a grin that didn’t reach his eye lights. “ya ain’t lost in a nightmare like last time?”

I shook my head. The lingering healing magic was a comfort that I held on to, as it allowed me to remember that Sans was all right. That I was all right, even if I didn’t feel it at present. But it didn’t mean that I might not relapse if something were to trigger me into a defensive response.   
  
Y/n was human.

And even if they weren’t the human who caused my brother and I pain...

I took out my phone and texted Sans, who stared at me for a moment before he took his own phone out and glanced at it. I saw Sans’ smile leave him, a frown tugging at the edge of his fangs, before it flattened into a neutral expression.

”i’ll let y/n know to keep outta sight until you’re sure.”

I said nothing, shifting from foot to foot, unable to do anything other than hold onto my scarf with a hand. After a moment’s thought, I stepped forward and reached out to lightly grasp the collar around Sans’ neck.

”shit.” Sans muttered, tapping a message out on his phone before pocketing it. “let’s get ya back home.”

Walking helped me further acknowledge that Sans and I were free, no longer being subjected to terrible things, denied the sky outside. Grasping my new scarf reminded me that I had been given another chance to live without fear of being taken away, to choose what I wanted to do, where I wanted to stay. My other hand loosely continued to hold onto Sans’ collar, feeling the intent I had put into it. This forced me to acknowledge that all was well, as much as it could be. 

I was not giving up on it on adding additional territory to my patrol route. There was no way that I would allow memories of the past to hold me back. But taking a break seemed appropriate in this moment.

Exploration would have to wait for another day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UF Sans 1st POV  
> Additional tags/warnings: swearing, confidence issues, perceived threats of violence when there are none, anger at the world in general for letting bad things happen even if it was out of one’s control, Underfell violence mention, Underswap Papyrus’ danger meter is screwed up, some fluff and silliness toward the end of the chapter. Papyrus does everything at 110% The reader calls Papyrus on his bluff. Idk maybe suggestive at the very end?

It woulda been great to take a shortcut back to y/n’s home.

Fuckin’ fantastic. 

But I couldn’t do that to Papyrus right now, when he was already dealing with shaking off unpleasant memories. I stopped now and again to let the boss take a breather. He wouldn’t admit it but whatever memories had cropped up hadn’t done him any favors.

Fuck knows I still have waking nightmares.

While Papyrus stood stick still, one hand gripping his scarf and the other hooked beneath my collar, I sent a text to y/n.

_gonna have to have ya lie low, sweetheart. paps needs some time_

It was shitty, asking y/n to hide in their own home, but considering what happened last time they came and tried to help the boss...

My phone buzzed in my hand, and I checked it, though I made damn sure to keep an eye on Papyrus too.

Sweetheart: _Are you headed back then_?

I thumbed a response as Papyrus crouched down near me.

_yup. couple minutes out. walkin’ and takin’ breaks fer the boss ta cool off._

”Sans.”

Aw, shit.

Not this again.

Thought Paps wouldn’t be so cowed about what had happened but here we were. It was gonna take a lot of time to recover to almost normal. And right now, all I could see was that the trauma we’d gone though had punched through all the metaphorical armor my brother had built up back in the underground to protect both of us.

“Sans?”

It was a quiet whisper.

It hurt more’n I thought to hear my normally loud and confident brother whispering to me like he was in stripes again.

“m’here, paps.” I muttered, struggling to not snap at the world in general when Papyrus of all monsters was looking at me for reassurance. Not a good idea to throw bones into the trees around us and make things worse.

”Those humans from before. They’re gone for good?” Papyrus’ fingers wound tight around his scarf and my collar. “You made certain of it?”

“yeah, they’re all fuckin’ dead, paps. i wasn’t gonna let ‘em think they were free ta come after us.” I said, anger rising in my soul over the very thought of any of those bastards crawling away to live another day. And the fury continued to rise over the way Papyrus’ confidence was suddenly gone in that moment, crouched as he was next to me so he could cling to my collar as he warily surveyed our surroundings, as though anticipating an attack.

I wanted to destroy something.

Blast all the trees around us into charred wood.

I couldn’t believe this.

Papyrus was just supposed to have gone on a routine patrol of the area, maybe a little farther than before, and now all this shit was happening. 

I hated being right in tailing after him.

Damn trauma.

It was a bitch.

I couldn’t be more grateful that y/n was willing to let us hang around when Paps and I were such a mess. And to be date mates with both of us, while knowing we had shit to deal with? Even more surprising, if unexpectedly welcome. It was almost like living a normal life again, if with unexpected curveballs being thrown at us at random.

”ready ta keep goin’, boss?” I asked, when Papyrus didn’t say anything for the longest time other than stare off into the distance.

”...That would get us back sooner.” Papyrus said after a good long minute of thought. He let out a sharp breath and slowly stood. His grasp loosened on my collar, reaching out instead to take hold of my hood.

I wasn’t complaining.

Better to tug on my hood than to accidentally choke me by jerking the collar in the wrong way.

Sighing, I took a few steps forward, inwardly relieved when Papyrus fell into step. I had to take a few more steps for every one of Papyrus’ strides, the long-legged bastard that he was. At least he seemed content for once to let me set the pace of the walk back to the house. Everything was going well, considering Papyrus didn’t seem to need to stop again.

Maybe he was close to clearin’ those bad memories away?

For now?

We were within a few minutes walk from y/n’s place when the universe at large decided it’d be fuckin’ hilarious to throw us one of those curveballs.

”heya, fancy seein’ the two of you outdoors.”

It was that damned monster delivery boy again.

Fuck.

This wasn’t good.

I know I told y/n it was all right to let the deliveries be brought to the house instead of at the end of the drive, but that with with the assumption that me and Paps would be in the house. I could already feel Papyrus tense up next to me, his hand finally dropping from his scarf to curl at his side. I didn’t need to see that hand to know that Papyrus was gathering magic to throw at a moment’s notice.

”woah, hey how, no need to get violent.” The other skeleton monster said, even if he looked supremely unconcerned about potentially being attacked. 

I used blue magic to hold my brother in place because dammit, he was just about to throw an attack, and while it would be a warning, for once, I really didn’t wanna attract the attention of even more monsters to the two of us so soon. 

”walkin’ around in the middle of nowhere is kinda suspicious, unless ya got somethin’ ta deliver to the house up ahead?” I shuffled in front of Papyrus, who was currently glaring daggers at the other monster (and likely at me for stopping his warning shot). I took a moment to look the monster over before snorting derisively. “ya fall outta bed before work or somethin’, ya twig?”

The other skeleton wore a pair of wrinkled khaki shorts, untied shoes, and a comfortable-looking orange hoodie with an oversized jacket thrown haphazardly over it, indicating a delivery company. Both articles of clothing were rumpled. The skeleton didn’t do much to straighten up from the easy slouch he’d been holding himself in, his non-fanged teeth twitching up into a lazy smile.

”yeah, got another delivery. no one answered the door and it needs a sig for me to leave it on the porch.” The monster said eventually, after he’d taken the time to inspect me and Paps. “heard movement out a ways and went to go check it out.”

”kinda a dumb thing ta do. what if ya get attacked by some wild animal?” I grinned when the other skeleton stared back at me with a deadpan expression before that lazy smile came back. I returned it with an even more vicious smile when I felt something. 

He’d checked me, and with a tiny change in expression in that smile, he checked Papyrus as well.

Wonder why this monster hadn’t before.

Papyrus had been kind of intimidating when he’d first seen this guy, I supposed.

”cat got yer tongue, delivery boy?” I drawled.

”papyrus.” The other monster said, tapping the tag on his company jacket.

”nah, he’s papyrus.” I thumbed over my shoulder at my brother, and I could feel his ire rising the longer I held his soul with blue magic. “so yer gonna either be rus or delivery boy.”

”rus is fine.” The other monster, now Rus, rolled his eye lights in his sockets and stepped forward cautiously, keeping a wary eye on my brother.

Funny.

Delivery boy shoulda been more worried about me and what I could do.

”if you can sign that you got the delivery, i’ll get out of your metaphorical hair.” 

“give it here.” I grumbled, holding out the hand not absently pissing my brother off more and more by keeping him in place with blue magic. 

Rus held the small device out and I signed with a pen on the line at the bottom of the screen.

”better get goin’, delivery boy. my bro ain’t in the best mood right now, so if ya don’t wanna be dust, shoo.” I made the ‘shoo’ motion with my free hand.

“whatever you say.” Rus shook his head in what appeared to be amusement before he waggled his fingers in a lazy good-bye.

My fangs twitched up in a grin at how quickly the fucker used a short cut when he thought he was far enough away and out of sight.

Now wasn’t that interesting.

“Sans...”

Welp.

At least I gave the boss somethin’ else to think about other than the past if he was getting all offended at my actions.

”didn’t want ya dustin’ yer doppelgänger, bro.” I released Papyrus’ soul from the blue magic, and held still as Papyrus spun me around via my hood and lifted me up into the air. I came face to face with an angry scowl. “aw, c’mon, boss, i didn’t wanna bring any trouble to y/n’s doorstep.”

Papyrus narrowed his sockets at me, bright crimson eye lights searching. Then, with a disgruntled growl, Papyrus released me and I landed on the grass on my feet. Then, he prowled off in the direction of the house, bristling in indignation.

I took my phone out again and sent y/n another text.

_almost home. going to take paps into the guest room. he’s a little better._

Sweetheart: _Let me know then the coast is clear. Chaosmaker is getting desperate to escape the confines of the basement._

I sent a quick message confirming I would before I had to actually jog to catch up with Papyrus. I hated physical activity and almost stopped immediately when I noticed what I was doing. With a smirk, I caught up with Papyrus and grabbed an arm, dragging both of us through a short cut despite my brother’s squawk of protest.

Better to have a little discomfort than for Papyrus to see a package on the doorstep to be reminded of Rus and how close he was to y/n without either of us there.

In the guest room, Papyrus dropped to the floor to dry heave as I tucked my hands back into pockets and leaned against the nearest wall. Predictably, my brother began to complain loudly.

”HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU TO NOT DRAG ME THROUGH YOUR WRETCHED SHORT CUTS!? IT IS UNNATURAL, BENDING SPACE AND REALITY. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOUR LEGS BUT A LAZINESS TO AVOID OVEREXERTING YOURSELF.”

”ya mighta mentioned it once before.” I drawled, grinning when Papyrus raised his skull to glare at me. “maybe twice?”

Papyrus’ sockets narrowed to slits, the crimson burning brightly inside.

”three times?” I waggled my fingers at my brother in a little wave, knowing what it would do when paired with some words. “ya already know i’m a lazybones, boss.”

Papyrus tackled me without warning, and I put up a lazy fight because I knew that he wouldn’t actually hurt me. The intent wasn’t there to harm. I only sensed complete and utter exasperation, along with some choice words I’d mainly tuned out.

”...COMPLETELY IRRESPONSIBLE TO RENDER ME UNABLE TO CONFRONT ANOTHER MONSTER WITHOUT KNOWING THEIR INTENTIONS TOWARD US.” 

”the fuck ya gonna do about it now?” I snapped without thinking, failing to free myself from the headlock Paps had me in. I shoulda been thinking more about how we weren’t in the underground and because of that, we didn’t need to keep up appearances by Paps punishing me for insubordination. I could take a strike if Papyrus was careful but it still rattled him to hurt me without letting other monsters around him know it.

We were on the surface, so there was no need to punish me with violence when less painful options were available. I felt a shift in intent as Papyrus let go of me in time for me to turn and see him flash his sharp teeth in an unexpected, rare grin.

”Are your ribs still sensitive from scarring?”

I stared at him, subconsciously crossing my arms.

Papyrus wouldn’t fuckin’ dare.

My own grin faltered as Papyrus decided to do something he hadn’t done since he’d still been in stripes.

Tickle me.

”you fuckin’ brat!” I wheezed, once I realized what was going on. I made an attempt to short cut away from the phalanges tickling my ribs but Papyrus laughed maniacally and doubled down on making _me_ laugh like I hadn’t laughed in years. Short cuts were suddenly far away from me as I gasped for air. “you...you-“

”NYEH HEH HEH! THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR PRANKING THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS WITH YOUR LAZY MODE OF TRAVEL!”

Stars.

This was hilarious, even if I had trouble breathing despite not having any lungs. I don’t remember the last time I’d heard Papyrus laugh like that. Even if it was his ‘evil’ laugh it was a hell of a lot more carefree than it had been in years.

”...p...paps...can...can y/n come up outta the basement? or do ya need...need some more time?” I struggled to ask, sucking in a breath when Papyrus halted his tickling attack.

”It should be all right now.” Papyrus mused, a thoughtful look crossing his scarred face. He took his phone out and tapped something out before he tossed the phone onto the bed and resumed tickling me mercilessly.

Retaliation would come when he least expected it.

A good ole placement of whoopie cushions and joy buzzers had Paps name all over them for the next week.

Y/n cautiously entered the guest room ten minutes later, to find me gasping for breath on the ground, splayed out on my back. Papyrus sat on the bed, looking pleased with himself, at least from what I could see. When y/n gave us a questioning look, I vaguely waved a hand in my brother’s direction.

”paps got revenge fer my short cut.”

“What?” Y/n looked very lost.

”tickling.” I vaguely waved my hand again.

”You’re ticklish?” Y/n began to smile. “How does that work?”

”bones can be sensitive.” I grunted, content to lie on the floor.

”Are you ticklish, Papyrus?” Y/n questioned.

”OF COURSE NOT. I DO NOT SUCCUMB TO SUCH A SILLY THING AS TICKLING. I AM-“

I started chuckling when Papyrus let out a very scandalized gasp when y/n stepped up to him and gave him a curious poke to his sternum.

”Are you sure the great and terrible Papyrus isn’t at least a little ticklish?” Y/n lightly teased.

I picked myself up off the floor with a groan when I heard Papyrus actually fucking stutter. A quick check showed me that y/n had sat themselves down on his lap with their arms around his neck, a smile across their lips.

Yeah, I was out.

Papyrus’ soul felt calmer than earlier, whatever bad memories that had cropped up dashed away by Rus’ appearance and my use of blue magic. The rest of the memories were pushed back and away with that damn tickling. My bro was fine now, and that meant I wasn’t about to stick around when I felt Papyrus’ intent shift so quickly to awkward if careful interest at y/n’s presence. I did care about my brother, but not enough to stick around to see what he and y/n got up to.

Fuckin’ stars.

They were disgustingly cute together when Papyrus didn’t have a stick firmly up his coccyx.

I snickered when I heard Papyrus’ almost panicked tone as I shuffled off toward the living room.

”I HAVE SAID THAT I AM NOT TICKLISH, Y/N! I AM ALWAYS IN CONTROL AND WOULD NEVER HAVE ANY WEAKNESS LIKE THAT TO EXPLOIT AND I-WAIT! WHAT ARE YOU...NYEH! HEH...heh...THAT...nyeh heheheh. AHEM. THIS...THIS DOES NOT COUNT! I-!” Papyrus let out a ridiculously high pitched yelp as y/n laughed in delight.

”Sure you’re not ticklish. Not possible at all. You just happened to react to your sternum being-.”

“I AM NOT TICKLISH! THAT WAS NOTHING!” Papyrus insisted after he let out a thin noise of offense.

My fangs twitched back up into a grin. I’d leave ‘em be and wait until y/n came and found me later for our marathon of a few episodes of some series on TV, but for now...

”WHAT...WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” 

On second thought, when I heard a low groan from Papyrus, I decided that I was gonna go hang outside on the porch. 

It was a nice day outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next two chapters should be the reader’s POV-Sans wanted his own chapter.


End file.
